Stokke Bounce 'n' Sleep October 2011

Stokke is best known for its iconic highchair, the Tripp Trapp and its futuristic pushchair, the Xplory. It isn’t often that new products are added to the Stokke fold, so we were keen to see what the Bounce ‘n’ Sleep has to offer.

The Stokke Bounce ‘n’ Sleep is a combination baby bouncer and daybed. The bouncer fits into the daybed and reclines flat when the baby wants a nap, or you can keep them at a 30 degree angle so that they are at table height and can see you while you're eating a meal, for example.

The Stokke Bounce 'n' Sleep daybed brings baby up off the floor

The bouncer can also be picked up by its carry handles and carried around the house with baby in tow, allowing parents to keep their baby close.

The daybed is designed for use for ages from birth up to six months and the bouncer can be used for ages up to 12 months.

First impressions

Our parent volunteers liked the ‘Scandinavian’ look of the Bounce ‘n’ Sleep, describing it as ‘simple, attractive and contemporary’ and thought it was well-made. However, they questioned whether the product, with its beige and white colour scheme, would be visually appealing to young babies. The white cover also looked less than pristine after only a few days’ use. Stokke says all the fabric covers are fully washable.

The bouncer comes pre-assembled so the harness simply needs adjusting to fit your baby. The daybed requires a little bit of assembly but the instructions were clear and it was mostly very straightforward, although our parents did find the fabric cover was a tight fit and hard to zip-up over the frame.

Truly transportable?

One of the key features that Stokke believes is innovative about the Bounce ‘n’ Sleep is being able to pick up the bouncer with the child still in it. Although the bouncer is quite bulky, our parents found it light and easy to move around. They also found the daybed quite light, although this was more awkward to move. This is the first bouncer we've encountered that is designed to be transported with the child inside it.

From play to snooze

According to Stokke, the baby bouncer is the only one of its kind to offer a ‘flat, ergonomic resting position’. Our testers found this recline useful but thought it could have been easier to operate. The strap was stiff and they needed both hands to put the bouncer in a recline position – one to operate the strap and the other to hold the bouncer steady to avoid waking their sleeping baby up. This feature could be improved.

The Stokke Bounce 'n' Sleep has carry handles to allow for easy transportation

Our volunteers successfully managed transporting their sleeping baby into the daybed by lifting the bouncer into it but, as the daybed is quite high, you need to be quite strong to lift the bouncer (complete with baby) up above waist height. Doing this may not be possible for mothers who have had a recent caesarean section. 

The baby found the rocking motion of the daybed soothing - it seemed to help him nod off.

Everyone also liked the toy hanger, which allows you to attach different toys to it so that your baby won’t get bored of staring at the same thing all the time.

Worthwhile spend?

Overall our parent volunteers thought the Stokke Bounce ‘n’ Sleep was a good product that was well-made. But they thought that given the short life span of the product, the £300 price tag was more than they would be prepared to spend. They still thought that they would probably go for alternatives (such as a Moses basket and a separate bouncer) for 'less than half the price’.

The Stokke Bounce ‘n’ Sleep costs around £300 for the complete package (you can buy the bouncer and day bed separately) and is available from Mamas and Papas, Mothercare and a wide range of independents.

Pros: Good build quality, lightweight, secure harness, easy to assemble.

Cons: Expensive, white cover quickly started to look grubby, quite bulky.